


Return from Rehab

by LenoraLana



Series: The Petra Black and Fowl Series [2]
Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Meltdown, OC, Petra Black, Professor Fowl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22906237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenoraLana/pseuds/LenoraLana
Summary: The sorta-sequel to Extreme Makeover. Petra Black returns from rehab... and goofiness ensues. Co-written with LadyWarrioress of fanfiction.net, Tarnee of A03.
Series: The Petra Black and Fowl Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664146





	1. Chapter 1

A/N This is SORT OF a sequel to "Extreme Makeover", though perhaps it could be considered an independent story as well. Though if you want a better idea of who Petra is, you might want to read that story. In case you don't want to though, I'll just tell you this; Petra Black is Meltdown's sister, and she's completely insane. That is all.

"Okay, let's just go down the list one more time."

Petra Black scowled at the person speaking, struggling slightly against the straight jacket she was wearing. She wanted this thing off, and she wanted it off now. But apparently these people wanted to keep asking her more questions before they would let her go. But all she really wanted to do was place her hands on her hips. Was that really so much to ask?

The man sat directly across from her in a wooden chair, and he wore a long, white coat and white pants. Hell, he even had white hair, and his skin was so pale that it was almost white too. That, along with the pure white walls, ceiling and floor made Petra feel like she was going to have the color white on her brain for the rest of her life. What was it with this place and all of its white paint and white clothing? Did they think that the inmates here liked that color or something?

The only thing that broke the monotony of whiteness were the doctor's dark brown eyes, and the soft brown color of the chair he sat on. Plus her cot was a dull metallic color, although she couldn't look at that since she was currently sitting on it.

"I want out of here," Petra snapped, sticking out her lower lip. She had been in the psyche ward within this hospital for the past few months, and apparently the doctors had determined her almost well enough to be released.

On top of that, she wasn't going to get any prison time, because they determined that all of her problems weren't really her fault, but merely the result of bottled up pain and aggression from her childhood. And since Sakura was out there somewhere, living a perfectly normal life, that wasn't going to be held against her either, apparently.

But she just wished they would let her go already. Why did they still have her tied up in this ridiculous straight jacket anyway?

"Now, now," the man said in that patronizing tone as if he were speaking to a toddler, or perhaps a puppy. "We need to get these questions out of the way first, and then maybe you can go. Okay?"

Petra fumed silently, then with great effort, she forced her expression to be neutral. "Fine," she then said. "Ask away.

"Good girl. First name," the doctor then said, holding up a notebook to write on—and of course, the paper and the pen were just as white as the rest of the room.

"Petra." She scowled. Didn't they know her name already?

"Very good. Last name?"

"Black." She was trying to be good, she was trying to be good… just be good until they let her go… she could do it…

"Good. Tell me the month, date, and year of your birth."

She told him as if she were reciting a nursery rhyme book. She'd learned months ago that if she flipped out or got angry, they would just give her a lot of questions and tests and keep her locked up for a long time. So she was trying her best to hold it in… just until this was over. It wasn't like she could move her hands anyway.

"Very good." Ugh, did he HAVE to make it sound like he was praising a puppy every time he said that? "What day is today?"

"Valentine's Day." That made Petra sniffle.

"What's the matter?"

"I wanna see my sweetie-pie!" Petra then said.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, nobody!" Petra grinned, positioning her neck so she could rub her cheek against her shoulder, wiping away a tear. "Just somebody I'd like to see, that's all."

"Mmm-hmm. Anyway, have you felt any desire to break objects or throw anything across the room?"

Petra smiled sweetly. "Oh no, I haven't. I have felt perfectly calm!"

"Very good. Do you still feel like you'll never succeed at anything?"

"I'm sure I'll succeed at something someday!"

"Very good. Do you still hear objects speaking to you, or do you hear voices talking when you are alone in the room?"

"Nope."

"Okay then, I think we can let you go, especially since you've made a lot of excellent progress over these past few months." With that the doctor got up and went over to the door, and opened it. He snapped his fingers. "Nurse," he said, "she's free to go. Remove the straight jacket and the ankle restraints, then take her downstairs to sign her out."

A woman entered the room and nodded. "Yes, doctor," she murmured as the man left. "Well Petra," she then said as she approached the woman seated on the cot, "I can't say I'm sad to see you go." She bent down and began to undo the ankle restraints. "Maybe with you gone, we'll have fewer messes to deal with, and maybe things will be a little quieter around here." She then reached up and carefully undid the straps holding the straight jacket in place. "There we go," she then said, removing it completely. "Come with me."

When Petra followed the nurse out of the room, she felt her heart soar within her chest like an eagle flying in the sunshine and fresh air after having been kept penned up in a cage for far too long. Still, she tried her best to be good. She HAD to be good. Or they would put her back in that room. She could NOT flip out in front of anyone. Not yet.

Once they reached the ground floor the nurse lead the way to the desk and matter-of-factly got out the appropriate paperwork. Most of it had already been filled out, but all that was needed was a signature. "Here, sign this," she said, handing a pen to Petra and holding out the form.

Petra scribbled her name down on the dotted line, giggling gleefully as she did so. This was her passport to freedom!

The nurse seemed all-too-anxious to finish this up. Once she was sure the signature was written down she took the clipboard back and dismissed the woman. The nurse didn't even care that the name "Petra Black" looked like it had been written by a four-year-old.

With that, Petra sprinted away, running toward the front exit. She burst through it and dashed outside, throwing her arms into the air and sucking the golden-delicious fresh air hungrily into her lungs, and felt like she wanted to burst into song as the sunny sunshine poured over her body, its beautiful rays a welcoming warmth.

Then right there, out in the parking lot in front of the hospital, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "FREEDOOM! PETRA BLACK IS FREE AGAIN, WORLD!" She then threw her arms around herself, giving herself a well-deserved bear hug and pat on the back. Then she took off into another run.

"PETRA BLACK IS GOING HOME, BABY!" she then screamed at no one in particular.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Captain Fanzone stuffed the rest of his Burger-Bot hamburger into his mouth, ignoring the fact that he was getting mustard all over his mouth and chin. It had been a very busy day and he hadn't even had a chance to eat anything today.

Besides, he would take going hungry over eating his wife's waffles any day. Somehow or other she'd always managed to burn them, and then she'd get huffy about it anyone—especially him—complained about her cooking. So he'd found clever ways to avoid breakfast whenever she cooked. Even making up emergencies that he had to attend to "right away".

Today had been different, though. It truly was a busy day that literally kept him hopping, and part of him was actually wishing that those confounded Autobots would show up and give him a hand. Where the heck where those blasted machines when he actually wanted them around?

So far he and his men had picked up a small gang of thugs who were attempting to steal from a store after breaking the front windows. Then he'd been forced be a temporary human traffic light just until the traffic light in the center of town was fixed, simply because no one else was available at that moment. Then after that he had to go to the scene of an accident and track down, then chase down, a hit-and-run vehicle.

And now it was late in the afternoon, and he'd just received a call about something else. Apparently Professor Princess was making a scene someplace, and she was really causing a lot of damage this time.

Lights flashing and sirens wailing, the police captain pulled his yellow vehicle up to the scene of the action. It was at one of the local toy stores where they sold action figures, board games, and video games. That was probably what attracted her to this specific shopping center; she seemed to love using violence as a means to get rid of violent toys and games.

"I really wish this kid's parents would keep a closer eye on her," Fanzone groaned out loud as he pulled his car to a stop. Last he'd heard, the parents of the girl spent a lot of time out of state, leaving her with a nanny. And this child had some pretty weird obsessions, apparently having gotten it into her head, for whatever reason, that violent toys were "bad for her generation".

So, with her parents' wealth at her disposal, she used her toy horse, "Power Sugar", and her makeshift wand, to wreck havoc on the places that sold the things she didn't approve of. And then after she fled the scene—or got caught, whichever—it was up to her parents to pay for the damage afterwards. At least they had the bucks to cover it… but they never seemed to do much with their daughter.

"This is the final straw!" Fanzone exclaimed as he threw his car door open, stepping out. "If those parents can't control their kid, I'm gonna lock her up until we find someone who CAN keep her under control!"

Just then the girl—who hovered above the ground on her pony—let out a maniacal laugh and fired a burst of colorful energy from her wand, sending it right through the already battered front of the store. This caused much smoke, and much more destruction.

Fanzone raised his voice to yell even as three more police cars pulled up. "Alright Sally, that's far enough! Stop what you're doing! Drop the wand, put your hands in the air, and get off the pony!"

The pink-haired girl turned to look down at him, her eyes narrowing through her black mask. "That's Professor Princess to you!" she snapped. "And you didn't say please!" With that she turned and fired a burst of rainbow-colored energy at him.

Fanzone moved out of the way just in time, as the energy blast went smack into the road pavement, sending pieces of it flying in all directions. It left a small crater in the ground.

"You're definitely NOT a professor!" the police captain yelled out at the girl. "But you are a princess. A spoiled, NAUGHTY little princess, and I'm going to take you in until I can figure out what to do with you! Now get down from there right now, Sally!"

The girl huffed, sticking her chin up into the air. "NOBODY CALLS ME SALLY BUT MY PARENTS!" she shrieked.

She raised her wand again, obviously getting ready to fire at either Fanzone or some of the other policemen who'd just arrived. However she never got the chance to do anything, for a golden, spinning star flashing brilliantly in the sunlight as it flew straight at her, hitting its target bang-on. This caused her wand to go flying out of her grasp, falling on the ground below.

"HEY!" Professor Princess exclaimed indignantly. "Those are not very nice!"

As if in response—or perhaps merely due to perfect timing—a second spinning star appeared and hit the side of the pony. Powder Sugar whinnied loudly, and flailed about in the air. The pink-haired girl cried out as her steed jolted and she tried to hold on, but ended up being thrown off.

She landed on the ground, right on her rump. "OW!" she exclaimed, and then she began to cry, noisily.

Clanking metallic footsteps could scarcely be heard above her caterwauls, although she did glance up when a large shadow fell across her. She stared at the tall, black-and-gold colored robot for a moment, then glared.

"YOU DUMB ROBOT!" she spat at him. "You're just as bad as those people who make those naughty violent games! And the police who stop me! YOU ALWAYS STOP ME!" She stuck her tongue out at Prowl, then began to cry again. "I WANT MY POWDER SUGAR!"

At that, the flying horse let out one final, pitiful neigh, and then fell down out of the sky… right between her and the Autobot.

"NOOOO!" the girl screamed, then moved forward and slammed her fist against Prowl's foot. He didn't move a bit, nor did he even blink. But she hurt her hand. And she screamed bloody murder about it for the next five minutes, to the point where Prowl temporarily deactivated his audio receptors.

Finally a couple of Fanzone's officers put the girl in handcuffs and then escorted her—and her broken steed—into one of the police cars. After that, the police captain sighed, shook his head warily, and scratched the back of his scalp as he regarded the ninja bot.

"This is why I hate kids," Fanzone grumbled, to no one in particular. "Never thought I'd be so glad to see a machine in my life."

Prowl inclined his head a little. "I'm guessing you can handle it from here," he said with a little smile as he glanced toward the nearest police car. The girl was still wailing her head off, but at least the sound was muffled due to the fact that all the windows were closed.

"Yeah," Fanzone muttered. "But you've got my thanks."

He then turned to go, but hesitated. "Oh by the way," he said, turning back to "face" the Autobot—as well as a human COULD face someone who was at least seven feet taller than him, at least. "There's something you might want to know."

"What is that?" Prowl asked. One side of his visor raised inquisitively.

"Apparently Petra Black has been released from the mental hospital sometime today, at least that's what my sources tell me." Fanzone sighed and shook his head. Frankly, that woman gave him the creeps, not to mention a headache. He'd been keeping a discreet eye on her just in case she did get released one day. "Frankly I don't like it. That woman needs to be locked in a room, and they need to throw away the security code to it."

"Hold on," Prowl said, cocking his head slightly as he processed this new information. "Does this mean that she is… recovered?"

"PFFFT. If you ask me, that woman will never 'recover' fully. She's a seriously twisted fruitloop, and she doesn't have loose screws in her noggin—she was born WITHOUT some screws. Bah!" Fanzone threw his hands into the air and muttered under his breath as he got back into his car. Amidst all of the murmuring about crazy criminals and how some of them don't have a right to be dealing with the public, he did murmur another "Thanks again" to Prowl before he drove away.

Prowl watched him go, then put a finger to the side of his helmet to activate his commlink. "Prime," he said, "there is something I need to tell you…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N This chapter was co-authored by Lady Warrioress. Fowl is her OC, so he belongs to her. Petra is mine.

Petra Black huffed and puffed a little as she hurried along the sidewalk. She was anxious to put as much distance between herself and the hospital as possible. I will not let them put me back in there! She vowed silently as she forced herself to keep going. She had been running for a short distance but quickly grew winded, so now she was walking as quickly as she could.

She managed to go a fair distance, at least for someone who wasn't in very good physical shape. She was quite skinny as always, but she had never been very athletic. Plus being exposed to real sunlight again was having an affect on her. She'd almost completely forgotten what it looked and felt like, thanks to those cursed white walls.

As she walked, her mind began to work a bit more. And she gradually realized something. She had no idea where she was going. Of course she had always assumed that she would just go home once she was out of that stupid rehab place. But in truth she couldn't go home. The apartment she had been staying at had told her not to return, because she couldn't keep the bills paid, and because they said she caused too much racket. Apparently some of the neighbors had complained about her as well, the jerks!

So that was when she'd begun staying in the basement of Sumdac Tower, and where she set up her base of operations. It was where she had brought the girl she'd kidnapped, Sakura, and taken the key when she'd stolen it.

Still she figured that that was no real big loss, in the end. Right now she was like a free bird, and she could simply start her life anew! She could just tell that things were going to get better for her now, so long as she put her best foot forward.

But the question was… where in the world was she going to go from here? She had nowhere to go. Especially since her brother was in prison, and she had no clue where her parents were.

That left her with only one option. She swallowed hesitantly, knowing that he probably wasn't going to be happy to see her. But what other choice did she have?

So she flagged down the first taxi cab she saw, got in, and gave the direction to Professor Fowl's apartment.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Prowl moved in thoughtful silence as he headed back toward the Autobot base, with his holographic "driver" activated atop him.

He hadn't had the opportunity to meet Petra Black himself. In fact, none of the Autobots could actually say they had met her. They'd only seen her on the news, and she had caused some problems around the city.

That included kidnapping the young woman named Sakura and altering her with cybernetic components, thus making her reliant on a copy of Sari's key that Miss Black had somehow made. Thankfully Sakura was living a productive life right now, somewhere on her own. She had spent a few weeks with the Autobots, then she'd chosen to leave Detroit and head to California. None of them had heard from her since, but they were sure she was living whatever life she wanted to live, as a writer.

The woman used a penname on all of her novels, some of which were becoming rapidly popular. But the Autobots knew that it was her nonetheless, and they maintained their silence, as always.

Prowl pushed those thoughts away as he revved his engine, moving along the roads. The area was becoming more and more congested with traffic, so he wanted to get home before it got much worse. Plus he wanted to share the news about Petra's release to Prime, in case he found the information important.

The ninja wasn't exactly pleased that the crazy human was on the loose again. Part of him figured that if the mental hospital had let her go, it could mean that she was deemed stable enough to be released into normal society again. But part of him wasn't so sure. Even if she was more stable now, there was no telling what she might do.

She had, after all, somehow figured out how to make a copy of Sari's key, which was in Sakura's possession. Of course, Sakura could be trusted with it, and she needed it. But what if Petra decided to try doing something like that again? Frankly, the sister of Prometheus Black was dangerous in her own way.

Finally Prowl made it back to the base, moving in through the front entrance and then transforming into his bipedal mode, then walked into the social room.

Prime was looking at the monitors, Bumblebee and Sari were playing one of their video games, and Bulkhead and Ratchet were nowhere in sight. Perhaps Bulkhead was off painting again, or doing something else. Ratchet was probably off doing something as well. Or perhaps he was recharging.

Optimus glanced up as the ninja bot approached him. "Something on your processor, Prowl?" the Prime asked, noticing the look on his friend's features.

Prowl nodded. "I just learned from Captain Fanzone that Petra Black has been released from the mental hospital," he informed his leader.

The other Autobot sighed. "Yeah I actually heard about that a little while ago on the news. But hopefully she's rolled over a new branch, at the humans say."

The corner of Prowl's mouth quirked upward into a smirk. "You mean, 'turned over a new leaf'," the ninja corrected. Then he turned serious again. "Perhaps she has, but we also need to remember what she did before. She copied Sari's key, and turned an innocent human into a techno-organic. What if she tries something like this again, or worse?"

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on her," Optimus said, then made a decision. He moved away from the console he was at and approached the yellow mech on the couch. "Bumblebee," he said, only to have the other bot ignore him. Of course, Bee was wearing those obnoxious headphones, as was Sari, so perhaps they simply didn't hear him.

The Autobot Prime reached out and gently snatched the headphones away from each of them, resulting in a startled exclamation from Bumblebee and an indignant "Hey!" from Sari.

"Time for fun and games is over," Optimus informed them.

Prowl reached forward and folded the laptop they were playing their game on closed, shutting the system down and thus causing the two gamers to lose all the progress they'd made in their game.

"Hey, we were on level two-hundred and sixty!" Sari yelled, standing up on the couch and clenching her fists. "We were almost done!"

"Sorry, but we need to go out on patrol," Optimus informed her. "All of us."

"Why now?" Bumblebee demanded, folding his arms across his chassis and appearing to pout a little. "What is so slaggin' important that you had to interrupt a perfectly good game?"

Prime narrowed his optics. "Petra Black has been released, and we need to make sure we know where she is and what she's doing," he stated firmly.

"That crazy glitch head is loose again?" Bumblebee blinked.

"Oh great. She'd better not try to steal my key again!" Sari growled, grabbing it protectively.

"That is why we must locate her," Prowl said.

A few minutes later, after Optimus had called Ratchet and Bulkhead into the social room and explained what was going on to them, the Prime gave the order, "Transform and roll out!" and then they were off, into the city.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Once the taxi cab arrived at its destination, the driver glanced expectantly at Petra as she got out of the car, obviously expecting her to pay.

Petra looked at him blankly for a moment, then realization dawned on her. "OH!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, I don't have any money, but um… the person I'm going to visit does! Be right back!"

The cab driver growled as she bolted toward the front entrance of the building. He was going to wait there, until he was paid one way or another. And he kept the meter running.

Petra bounded up the front steps, nearly stumbling over herself as she did so. Then she pounded against the door with both fists.

"Who is it?" came a familiar voice from inside.

The woman glanced over her shoulder again, noticing the glower that the cab driver was giving her. She then turned back to the door and banged on it again, even harder this time. Couldn't he just open up?

"I said who it is?" the voice shouted from inside. A moment later the door flew open and a man with spiky brown hair and blue eyes wearing a lab coat over his dress shirt and pants stood before her. When he saw who was on the threshold he paused. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his tone saying he wasn't happy to see her.

"Um…" Petra grinned at him, almost shark-like. "I just came here to see you!" She thought that a friendly tone might start them off on the right foot, at least.

The man obviously wasn't happy about that. "Why did you come to see me?" he demanded. "I fired you, remember?"

"And that wasn't my fault!" Petra stuck out her lower lip.

She folded her arms across her chest, looking almost child-like. "But now I have nowhere to go. They kept me locked up in that rehab center for a while, now they just let me out. But I have nowhere to go."

"So?" he demanded, mirroring the gesture. "What do you want me to do about it? Why don't you call your brother and have him help you out?"

"He's in jail! And why would I want to talk to him? He's a freaky acid slime ball! AND HE NEVER CARED ABOUT ME." Petra frowned.

"What makes you think I do?" he snapped.

Petra hung her head. "I know nobody cares," she moaned. "But," she went on, lifting her head to look at Fowl again, "I don't have anywhere else to go. You want me living on the streets? What would people SAY?"

"About the same things they say now," Andrew told her. "So what difference does it make." he put his hand on the door as if to close it. "I'm sorry but I can't help you."

"NO!" Petra quickly moved forward, throwing her arms out and putting her foot against the door. "YOU MUST DO SOMETHING!"

"Why must I do anything?" Fowl shot back, pushing hard on the door in an attempt to shut it. "I don't have any relationship with you!"

"You were my boss once!" Petra cried out, then slammed her body against the door to force it to stay open. "I'm not going anywhere until you help me! If you close this door I'll SCREAM until you open it again!"

Fowl hesitated. The last thing he needed was for his neighbors to hear her screaming bloody murder. They might think he was killing her himself.

"Okay fine," he consented.

"THANK YOU!" With that she shoved past him and dashed into the apartment, squealing like a giddy little girl.

Fowl noticed the glowering taxi driver. "Umm did you forget something?" he asked, looking back and her as he pointed at the car.

"Oh… uhhh…" Petra looked sheepish and seemed to shrink in size a little, intertwining her fingers together in front of herself. "I don't have any money," she then blurted.

"WHAT?" he exploded.

She flinched, backing away a little. "Please don't get mad!" She somehow managed to sound both timid and defensive at the same time. "It's not my fault I don't have any money! You fired me, then the men in white coats took me away, and then they let me go when I don't have anything!"

"Well you wouldn't have had such bad luck if you weren't such a crazy psychotic!" he retorted. "Besides I gave you severance pay and you could have filed for unemployment!"

Petra scowled. "I used up all my money, and no one will hire me. So I chose to get by in other ways."

"And you had to face the consequences," he pointed out. "And I guess now you want me to pay that guy for your free ride, don't you?"

Her face lit up, then turned a little sheepish again. "Would you, pretty please?"

Fowl rolled his eyes. "I don't think I have a choice."

"YAY! THANK YOU!" Petra beamed and clapped her hands in delight.

"But you owe me whatever the price amounts too," he grumbled, stepping out of the building and over to the taxi. "Yeah. Like I'll ever see that happen."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sari shifted a little in Bumblebee's front seat. She fiddled with the seatbelt a little, tightening it slightly around her waist. Then she touched her key, turning it over in her fingers.

"You okay?" Bumblebee asked with concern, his radio lighting up as he spoke.

The red-haired girl sighed and released her key, allowing it to drop so it once again dangled from the end of its chain. "Yeah I'm okay," she murmured. "I'm just worried what she might do next."

"Yeah well, we'll find her before she does anything," Bumblebee assured her. "Especially with the fasted bot on wheels." With that his engine roared and, with a screech of tires, he took off ahead of the other Autobots.

"Bumblebee, slow down!" Prime barked out, but the yellow bot ignored him.

"Bumblebee!" Sari exclaimed. "What are you doing? You're gonna hurt somebody if you keep going this fast!"

"No I think I saw something!" the yellow mech insisted, keeping up with his current pace and swerving around other cars as he went.

"You're just gonna make Prime mad, not to mention Captain Fanzone!" Sari snapped. "I've heard that people are starting to think that you are his car, sometimes!"

"Well that's their problem! I'm an Autobot, not one of their stupid cars!" Just then Bumblebee pulled to a stop right around a corner, as if he found whatever he was looking for.

It was then that Sari realized that he'd actually been following another car. She leaned forward and peered out her friend's windshield and saw what he was looking at. It was a dark blue vehicle with a figure inside who looked very much like Petra Black.

Sari unhooked her seatbelt and then opened the door to step out. Immediately afterwards, Bumblebee transformed and then leaned over the car. "Alright, I know you're in there!" he exclaimed.

Just then the person inside rolled the window down on the car and peered out. It then turned out that it was not a woman sitting inside, but a man. He had black hair and pale skin just like Petra had, but that was where the similarities ended, at least in some ways.

"Wow, you're one of the Autobots aren't you?" he exclaimed.

"Bumblebee… I think that's Jackson Michaels," Sari muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Oh," Bumblebee said, suddenly looking sheepish. He then reached behind his head and began to caress the back of his helmet in a human-like gesture. "Sorry," he then said to the driver. "I um… thought you were someone else."

"That's okay, man. It's an honor to meet you!" the pale-faced man said, stepping out of his car and slamming the door shut.

Just then, the other four Autobots approached from behind.

Over the next few minutes, another round of apologies were exchanged, as were autographs. Bulkhead and Bumblebee each got an autograph from Jackson Michaels, and in turn, the famous human superstar got each of the Autobots to sign their names for him.

Finally they parted ways, and Optimus ordered them to continue their search for the woman Petra Black, making certain everyone focused on the task at hand. He also refrained from giving Bumblebee a lecture; they had more important things to worry about at the moment. He just hoped they would find her soon, at least so they could know where she was.


	3. Chapter 3

While Fowl was outside, Petra took a moment to wander around the apartment just a bit, taking everything in. She roamed around through the kitchen, then the living room, and finally plopped herself down onto the couch and leaned back against it, folding her arms behind her head.

"Ohhhh yeah!" she exclaimed, letting out a sigh of contentment. "I could really get used to this!" Then she kicked her shoes off onto the floor and set her feet on top of the coffee table, crossing them at the ankles. Then she grinned and closed her eyes, relaxing.

At that moment Fowl came back into the house. The moment he saw what she was doing his eyes bugged out wide and his face changed colors. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he roared.

Petra screamed in alarm and jumped, which somehow resulted in her falling down in the space between the table and the couch. "WHAT!" she then shouted, glancing upward with widened eyes.

"Get your foul smelling feet off my coffee table!"

Scowling, Petra scrambled to her feet and put her hands on her hips. "Well you don't need to YELL!" she snapped. "You could have just asked nicely!"

"If I had asked nicely you would have whined about it then never followed my order!"

She stuck out her lower lip like a pouting two-year-old. "Well," she then muttered after a moment, "what now? And you got anything to eat around here?"

"I was about to order out," he replied, walking over to the phone. "My work requires too much of my time to cook anything."

"Oh, what are we having?" Petra asked excitedly, following Fowl closely like a puppy dog.

"Lizard guts," he said in a deadpan voice.

She made a face. "You're kidding," she stated blankly.

"Of course I am," he said. "You think I'd be dumb enough to really eat such a thing? I've offend mable here." he poked the aquarium that house a bright green chameleon.

"Not funny. So what are we REALLY having?" she asked again, furrowing her eyebrows.

"How do you feel about polish food?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment. "Never had any… what's it like?" she finally asked with a shrug.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I never tried it." He picked up the phone and dialed the number, turning his back to the woman.

"Oh," Petra said, then shrugged as well. She figured there was nothing wrong with being adventurous, especially considering this was her first day of freedom. "This will be awesome!" she then exclaimed under her breath.

0o0o0o0o0

The Autobots were proving to have a very fruitless search. In fact it felt more like a wild goose chase than anything else. So eventually they decided to stop by Captain Fanzone's house in order to ask the head of the police if he knew where Petra Black currently was.

The captain was not home, although his wife was. She had seen the Autobots before on a couple of occasions, and although she felt a bit… odd talking to them, she liked speaking to them nonetheless.

"Well hello there," she greeted them warmly as she stepped out onto the front porch, though she eyed them warily. It was a bit odd to have several gigantic robots standing in front of your house, after all. Especially alien ones that had minds of their own. But she knew her husband didn't mind them for the most part… so long as they were damaging the city.

And really, they seemed quite friendly, all things considered.

"Hello, Mrs. Fanzone," Optimus Prime greeted her with a little wave of his servo. He'd once made the mistake of calling her "Mrs. Captain Fanzone" and had been greeted with a burst of laughter from her. Since then, he'd learned how to address her properly. "We would like to speak to your husband. Where is he?"

"Oh he's at work right now," the woman informed him. If these were normal, human visitors, she might have invited them inside for refreshments. But in this case… well, they wouldn't exactly fit in the house. "You'll probably find him at the police station, unless he's out on a case."

Optimus nodded. He hadn't really expected the police captain to be home anyway, considering it was still early in the day. He just figured he would check since there were some days that Fanzone had off. "Thank you, we'll check there," the Prime nodded, then transformed back into his vehicle mode, leading the other Autobots away from the house.

As the five of them drove along the road, looking like a small, assorted convoy of vehicles in the way that they traveled so closely together, they talked amongst themselves.

"Prowl, has your commlink been malfunctioning?" Optimus asked the motorcycle.

"Not really, why?" the ninja inquired.

"Because while you were out alone earlier, you called me and said you had something to tell me," the Prime replied. "Then you waited until you got back to the base before you said anything."

"I wanted to tell you in person," Prowl answered. "Plus I was anxious to beat the traffic back to the base."

"Hmm, you sure there's nothing wrong with your commlink?" Optimus asked, the curiosity in his tone giving way to concern. Usually whenever any of the bots said something over their commlinks, they would finish what they were saying. Then again, perhaps it truly was nothing.

"There is nothing wrong with it," Prowl repeated calmly. "It is working fine right now."

"Maybe I should give you a checkup when we get back to base," Ratchet spoke up behind them both. "It's been a few months since I've done that anyway. I should probably check all of you over."

"Oh come on, I don't need a checkup!" Bumblebee practically whined. "I'm as fit as a fender!"

"Actually I think it wouldn't be a bad idea," Optimus commented, then turned left at a fork in the road, and the others turned to stay with him. "In fact, I'll go first." Sometimes the Prime made that offer in order to persuade the others into cooperating. After all, a leader had to set a good example, right?

Once everyone agreed—even if it came in the form of a begrudged grumble from Bumblebee—they continued on their way.

"I will proceed to the police station to see if Captain Fanzone is there," Optimus then said, after a few moments. "I want the rest of you to split up and continue the search for Petra Black. But keep in touch at all times, and if you find any trace of her, contact the rest of us immediately."

The four other Autobots acknowledged the order, then all five of them split up, heading into different directions.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Once the food was delivered and then served on the table, Petra Black wolfed her serving down as though she'd never seen food before. She scooped it into her mouth and swallowed most of it before it had been chewed enough, and some chunks were almost too big for her to swallow. She also proved to be a very noisy eater… as well as a very messy one. In fact, she even used her fingers and tongue more than the silverware.

Fowl watched her eat in disgust. 'Use your fork," he snapped. "Where were you raised? A barn?"

Petra grabbed her glass of water and drank down half of it in a single gulp. She then wiped her hands off on a napkin. "Hey, they controlled EVERYTHING I did at that stupid hospital," she complained. "Now I'm FREE again! I can eat however I want."

"Not in my house you can't!" Fowl glared.

"Okay, fine," Petra shrugged. She wiped her hands off onto her napkin again, then wiped her mouth off onto her sleeve. Then, with exaggerated care, she took her fork into one hand, her knife into her other. "Happy now?" she then asked, as she used the fork to delicately place a piece of food onto her tongue.

"Very," he said, going back to his own food.

A few moments passed in silence. After Petra finished eating everything off her plate that she could get up with a fork, she set down her silverware and picked the plate up, holding it in front of her face.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Fowl asked warily.

"I'm licking the plate!"

"Okay that's enough," he said, standing up. "I could stand for the other things but licking that plate like you're a dog draws the line. Stick the blasted thing in the dishwasher!"

Petra lowered the plate, then frowned. "You're no fun." Nevertheless she got up to do what she was told. She figured that since he had been good to her all things considered, giving her food and paying the taxi driver, she could do this one little thing. "Where is the dish washer?" she then asked.

"In the kitchen next to the sink, where else?"

Nodding, Petra then went into the kitchen and quickly found it. She opened it up, stuck the plate in, then returned to the dining area where Fowl was still seated at the table. She then stood right behind him and frowned. "Do you still think I'm a dog?" she demanded suddenly.

"What?"

"You just said I was acting like a dog, and you always said I looked like one. Do you think I'm a dog?" She glared.

"Looking like a dog and actually being a dog are two different things."

She seemed to process that remark for a few moments. Finally she simply put it aside and then asked, "You done eating yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Will there be any dessert?"

"No there will not be any dessert," he replied, standing up and taking his plate into the kitchen. "If you're still hungry eat an apple."

"Nope." Petra followed him as he put his plate into the dishwasher, watching as he then closed it up afterwards. "Um… so what happens now?" she then asked, almost tentatively.

"What do you mean what happens now?" he asked, looking at her like he had no idea what she meant by that. "Don't tell me you have no idea what you're planning on doing next."

"Well…" Her expression turned very child-like. "I was hoping you could help me figure that out!" she said honestly.

"I'm not your brain, Petra! I can't decide things for you!"

"You could re-hire me!" she retorted.

"I can't rehire you."

Her face fell. "Why not?"

"Because I already hired somebody else," he replied. "And you know my rule. I only require one assistant because two would be too much."

"Can't you FIRE her?"

"No, I can't fire her!" he shouted. "Why would I fire somebody who actually is competent? She doesn't smoke around my specimens! In fact she doesn't smoke at all!"

Petra scowled. "She's prettier, isn't she? ISN'T SHE? I bet she doesn't look like a dog and that's why you like her better!" She clenched her fists at her sides.

"What Miss Vanderelt looks like is not the issue here," he told her calmly. 'The fact is you blew it while working for me and I had been nice enough to give you more chances than you really deserved but you never bothered to change anything. All you did was make one mistake after another. THAT is why I fired you. I couldn't stand that any longer!"

Right at that moment Petra huffed and stomped out of the kitchen, going back into the eating area. She then slammed her fists down onto the tabletop, causing it to shake a little. "LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!" she shouted.

"You're only now realizing this?" he called after her.

She slammed her fists against the table again. "You don't understand!" she shot back. "My life has ALWAYS been unfair!" She hit the table yet again. The table groaned in protest.

"Hey! Careful! That table is worth a lot of money!"

Petra hit it one final time, then she moved around to slump down into the chair that Fowl had vacated moments ago. She then put her head down on the table top, letting out a long sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she mumbled, almost pitifully.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Captain Fanzone was actually relieved to see one of the Autobots for once. It gave him a chance to temporarily abandon the mountain of paperwork he had to get through in his office. All of the incidents happening around the city lately had not only kept himself and his men very busy, but it also required a lot of forms that needed to be filled out.

So when his security told him that Optimus Prime was there to see him, he actually smiled as he stepped out of the office and then outside into the sunshine. It was truly a beautiful day, not one to be kept cooped up inside.

"What do you want?" the police captain asked as he glanced upward toward the giant Autobot. "You don't usually come here, so I take it this isn't a social call."

Optimus shook his head. "No, it isn't," he acknowledged truthfully. "I'm here because I was wondering if you had any information about Petra Black's current whereabouts."

Fanzone snorted, then rolled his eyes. "What do you want to know that for? Wait a minute, what has she done now?"

"Nothing yet, that we know of."

"Then why are you here asking about her?"

"Because after everything she did, we would simply like to know where she is so we can keep a general eye on her," Optimus explained calmly. "After all she did kidnap someone and put cybernetic components into her, and she made a copy of Sari's key."

Fanzone blinked. "I knew about the kidnapping and I knew some of what she did to that poor girl," he said slowly, "but I didn't know she made a copy of the kid's key. How did that happen?"

"We don't really know," Optimus replied. "But we'd like to keep an eye on her to make sure nothing like that happens again."

"I see what you mean," the captain acknowledged with a thoughtful expression. From what little he had seen of the Sumdac girl's key, it was a pretty powerful little thing. Probably far more powerful than anything a kid should be entrusted with. But if it was possible for copies of it to be made, and if Petra had somehow figure out how to do this, it could be dangerous information to have indeed.

"Okay listen," Fanzone then said, speaking up. "I need to tell you everything you need about this, and don't leave out a single detail. Because I think I need to know."

"Alright," Optimus agreed. "But there isn't much that I know."

"Just tell me what you do know."

"Just one thing first… do you know where she is?"

Fanzone shook his head. "Not really. All I know is that she left the nuthouse. I don't know where she would go, although maybe I could see if her brother knows anything."

"Hmm, that is a good point," the Autobot leader acknowledged. "But he's in prison so I doubt he would know much."

"Still, it's worth a shot. Now, I need you to tell me everything that happened," Fanzone insisted. "Even if you don't know much, well, tell me what you do know, and leave nothing out this time!"

Sucking in a deep "breath" of oxygen through his ventilators, Optimus did his best to relate everything that had happened. Just as the Autobot suspected, Fanzone didn't find very much of it useful. Except it gave the police captain even more examples of how the woman truly had been dangerous, and possibly still was even after being released from the mental ward.

"Well," Fanzone finally said with a sigh, "I think it would be a good idea to know that crazy dame's whereabouts. And it might be a good idea for me to go pay her brother a little visit to see if I can find out anything he knows about her that might be useful."

"Want me to come with you?" Optimus asked.

Fanzone shook his head. "Nope, I'd rather handle this one on my own without a machine getting in the way, no offense."

Optimus merely nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay then… I'll keep in touch." With that he transformed and drove away, eager to participate in the search for Petra once again.

"Yeah, you do that," Fanzone mumbled out loud as he headed toward his car. He opened the door and climbed in, slamming it softly afterwards. His foot crunched something as he moved it toward the gas peddle and he glanced down at it. "I really gotta clean this thing out one of these days," he muttered as he started the engine.

"At least going to the prison is a lot better than sitting behind my desk doing paperwork," he then murmured to himself. Yeah, it was definitely a step up from that, at least.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Maybe you could get a job at the Burger Bot," Fowl suggested, resting his back against the wall and folding his arms. He grinned. "They're hiring again after all."

She looked up at him dully. "I already worked there once," she grumbled. "Before I worked for you, actually."

"So? Doesn't mean you can't apply again."

"Hmm." She lifted her head off the table and sat back, looking thoughtful. "Any idea how much they pay?"

"Minimum wage."

"Not interested." She let her head slam back down against the tabletop.

"Well then here." he picked up that days paper and chucked it over to her. "Look through the classifieds. I'm sure somebody there is hiring."

She lifted her head and stared at the paper for a moment, the reluctantly grabbed it and began to flip through it. After a moment she glanced up at him. "Can I stay here for tonight?" she asked. "I mean… is there a room?"

He frowned. "This is a one bedroom apartment," he told her. "So the only place you can sleep is the couch."

"Well…" She grinned suddenly, folding up the paper and putting it on her lap. "If we both used the bed, I wouldn't take up much room. I promise!"

Fowl's expression tightened. "No I don't think so," he stated.

Petra's face fell. "You wouldn't even know I was there!" she insisted. "I don't even snore, I promise!"

"I don't care! You're not sleeping with me!"

"Give me one good reason why not." Petra leaned back in the chair, bobbing her eyebrows. "You afraid I'll do something?"

"No, I'm afraid I'll do something," he said. "Like strangle you."

She sighed. "Okay… I'll sleep on the couch tonight," she relented, almost as if this were her apartment. "And I'll look for a job tomorrow," she then said, rising from her chair. "So, whatcha got to do around here? What's on TV? Got any good books or DVDs?" She grinned again.

"Scrabble."

"Sheesh, you are NO FUN!"

"I'm a scientist I don't have time for fun." he said before stepping out of the room.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Prometheus Black—or Meltdown, as he preferred to be known—sat on the small cot within his cell. It was made of a crystalline substance reinforced by a mild force-field, so that he was completely unable to penetrate it with his acid.

For the most part, his stay at the jail was extremely boring. He got no visitors, especially since he was considered a freak. And he had no idea when he would be released, if he ever was, especially since he was considered quite dangerous anywhere outside of this cell.

When he saw the police captain approaching he peered at the plump, blond-haired man with curiosity and interest. He hadn't had the honor of seeing this man since the day he'd first been locked up… for the second time. Could it be that there was a slim chance he would hear some news about when he might be released?

"Why, if it isn't my dear Captain Fanzone," he greeted with sarcastic warmth. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Fanzone's eyes narrowed. "I'm here on official business," he replied. "I need to talk to you about your sister."

Meltdown's eyes narrowed behind his visor. Then he shuddered a little. "What has she done now?" he asked warily.

"As far as we know, nothing yet," Fanzone said. "But she was released from the mental ward earlier today, and we have no idea where she is. I was hoping you could tell us where she might go."

"Not here, that's for certain," Meltdown said with a shrug. Then after a moment of thought he added, "And just why did you let her out of your sight in the first place? If you think it's necessary to keep an eye on her, you should have been watching her from the moment she left."

"I was only notified of her leaving AFTER she had already left," Fanzone replied defensively. "And since the hospital staff had apparently deemed her fit to run free in society again, there was nothing I could do about it. But now, new information has come to my attention that indicates I should know where she is."

"Ah, I see," Meltdown rolled his fluidly eyes. "So now you want me to tell you where she might have gone." He folded his arms across his chest.

Fanzone folded his arms in return. "That would help a great deal, yes."

"Very well," Meltdown muttered. "Even though I'm in here and she's out there… I don't exactly like the idea of my insane sister roaming free and loose in the city anyway." He sighed. "What would you like to know?" he then asked.

"Well for starters, where do you think she might go right after leaving the hospital?"

Meltdown thought for a moment. "Well, our parents would never take her in, and she would never come to me, for obvious reasons," he murmured, narrowing his eyes as he continued to think.

"Well, there's a few people I can think of she might go to," he finally murmured.

Fanzone cocked his head to one side. "Like who?" he asked.

Meltdown then asked, "May I use the phone? I could call him to see if he's seen her."

The police captain's eyebrows furrowed. "To call who?"

"Oh, just an… acquaintance." Meltdown didn't really have much interest in talking to the man he was planning to call. Nevertheless, he figured it might give him something different to do for once besides staring out the walls of his tinted cell. "Just give me a phone, and I'll call."

"I don't think so. It would be much easier and faster if I could do it myself. Besides, how could you even hold a phone without melting it?"

"You could give me a pair of protective clothes, made of the same material of the suit I'm wearing. Either way, I want to call the person myself. Otherwise, you'll never know who it is. And," Meltdown added slyly, "you can't do anything to me. I'm already in jail." He looked smug.

Fanzone sighed. He didn't really have time to stand around arguing with the prisoner, nor did he want to. "Fine," he said. "I'll get you a pair, and then I'll loan you a phone. But don't try any funny business!"

Meltdown folded his arms. "Wouldn't dream of it," he smirked.


	4. Chapter 4

It took a few hours for a specialized pair of gloves to be made and perfected for Meltdown's acidy hands. This was also being paid for by money from Fanzone's own pocket, so he simply hoped that this would be worth it in the end.

It was late in the evening by the time the gloves were ready and delivered to the police captain. Fanzone begrudgingly thanked the designer for them and then gave the man a check. He then took the gloves with him into the car and proceeded to drive to the prison.

Upon arriving, the policeman parked his car, shut off the engine, then grabbed the gloves and stepped outside. He entered the prison building, flashed his ID and badge before the scanners, then went inside toward Meltdown's cell.

The freakish acid-man glanced up expectantly as the outer doors opened, and his eyes lit up when he saw the police captain coming toward his cell.

"You're back," the man formerly known as Prometheus said, rather casually.

"Yeah I'm back, and I got your gloves," Fanzone snipped curtly. "And I brought my own cell phone with me. Just don't try anything or you'll regret it."

"No worries," Meltdown said with a shrug of his shoulders.

With that, Fanzone opened a small opening on the side of the cell and shoved the gloves inside. They landed on the floor, where Meltdown stooped down to pick them up. He then slipped them both onto his hands. "Nice fit," he murmured.

"Yeah well, I'm gonna need those back after we're done here," Fanzone informed him.

Meltdown scowled. "And why is that?"

"I'm not letting you keep them," the policeman answered. "Those are now considered police property."

"Whatever. You going to let me use your phone now?"

Fanzone warily grabbed his phone from his belt and handed it through the small opening. "Here you go. Like I said, don't try anything funny."

Meltdown took the phone, and then began to dial.

0o0o0o0o0o0

During the course of the day, Petra Black had somehow managed to keep herself amused without driving Fowl up the wall TOO much. She had actually contented herself with playing scrabble for a while, and even claimed to have invented all new ways to play the game with herself, although most of it seemed to be in her head.

There were a couple of times though when she lost her temper for some random reason, and broke a drinking glass and knocked over the dining table.

It was now late in the evening, and after a brief dinner of Chinese food—once again ordered by Fowl—Petra had resigned to settling down on the couch and going to sleep. And despite her previous claims, she really did snore, and the noise sounded like the cross-between of a foghorn and a dull chainsaw.

And she was woken by cold water being poured over her head.

She shrieked and jolted out of her sleep, gasping and sitting up straight. "HEY!" she yelled. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

Fowl stared down at her with a cold look. "You were snoring," he stated. "And you upset Mable."

She gritted her teeth and leaped to her feet, poking a finger against his chest. "I do NOT snore!" she snapped. "Maybe you were snoring! Or maybe Mable was snoring!"

"I was awake," he told her. 'I in my office writing notes and Mable is a lizard and doesn't say anything. I also have proof that you snore." he held up a recording device and pressed the playback button.

She listened to the noise for a moment, then scowled. "I don't sound like that!"

"How would you know?" he questioned, pocketing the device. "You're asleep when you do it."

Before she could say anything, the phone rang. "I'LL GET IT!" she yelled excitedly, and hurried to stand up from the couch. She then sprinted past him, toward the kitchen.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled, chasing after her. He caught her arm and yanked away from the phone. "I'll get it!" he stated firmly, grabbing the cordless phone off the kitchen counter.

Petra stuck her tongue out at him. "No fair, I like answering the phone!" she exclaimed. "Who is it?" she then asked, her pouty attitude somehow melting away into curiosity.

"How should I know?" he snapped. "You're talking too loud."

"Fine, I'll just go back to the couch," Petra snipped, then stamped out of the kitchen like a child who'd just been scolded for stealing cookies.

"Hello?" Fowl spoke into the phone.

On the other end of the line, a slightly gurgled voice answered. "Hello. Is this Professor Fowl?"

Fowl paused. This voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place it. Where had he heard it before? "Yes," he said after a moment's pause. "Who is this?"

"Then you are exactly who I wish to speak with," the voice said. "My name is Meltdown."

"Meltdown?" the scientist frowned. "Prometheus?"

"I prefer to be called Meltdown. And I have something I need to ask you."

"What?" he asked. "If it's about an organic transformer I can't help you with that."

"No, no, not that. I need to ask you about my sister." Meltdown said the "sister" as if it left a bad taste in his acidic mouth.

"What about her?" Fowl asked. "Are you coming over to get her?"

"Ah, so she is there?"

"Of course she is."

"Then the police captain will be very interested to know that."

"Why? What did she do now? Blow up the police station?" he glared at the hovering Petra, who had wandered back into the room a moment ago. "Or did she let the animals out of the Zoo saying confining them to cages was inhumane?"

"No she hasn't done anything, the police simply want to know where she is, I think," Meltdown replied, his tone suggesting he was shrugging.

Petra blinked. "Who is on the phone?" she demanded. "Who are you talking to?"

"My land lord," he said sarcastically. "It's none of your business who I'm talking to."

"What?" Meltdown asked, having heard his words on the phone.

"I wasn't talking to you," he spoke into the phone. "But yes she'll be with me for a few days. I don't know how long, honestly but not too long."

"Then that's all I need to know." With that, Meltdown hung up.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"So she's at her former boss's house?" Fanzone inquired. "That's what you're saying?"

Meltdown handed the phone through the little opening in the cell. "That is correct," he acknowledged.

The captain gladly grabbed his phone and put it back on his belt. Then he held out his hand indicatively toward the small opening in the cell again. "Ahem."

Sighing, Meltdown took off the gloves and reluctantly shoved them back through the small opening, into the policeman's waiting hands. "So, what now?" the acidic man then asked.

"Now I want to know exactly what he said," Fanzone told the prisoner.

"Very well. My sister is at Professor Fowl's house."

"Who is that?"

Meltdown smiled impishly. "Her former boss."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Petra watched as the professor lowered the phone receiver from his ear. Obviously the call had ended. "Okay, what was that all about?" she asked, moving even closer to him.

He looked down his nose at her. "Since it concerns you anyway I might as well tell you," he said. "That was your brother. He was calling to see if you were here. Or more appropriately," he added. "If I knew where you were."

Blinking a few times, as if that piece of information was trying to register in her brain, Petra frowned. "I don't want to see him!" she pouted. "He's not coming here, is he?"

"No he's not coming here," Fowl stated flatly. "The last thing I need is two freaks hanging out in my house. He's in jail in his special box, he can't go anywhere."

"Oh, good." Petra let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead in an overly dramatic fashion. "Well then, I'm going back to bed!" With that she bolted from the kitchen, most likely headed back to the couch.

Fowl sighed and set the phone back in its cradle. "Sheesh."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Fanzone called Optimus Prime on the frequency that the Autobot leader had given him to use in the case of an emergency. It could also be used in cases such as this, where he simply had something urgent to tell the Prime.

"Hey, Optimus Prime," the policeman spoke into his phone after establishing a decent connection, "just so you know, I found out where Petra Black is, and I'm going over there right now to make sure everything is okay."

"Acknowledged," Optimus replied. "Where is she?"

"Let's just say I think the situation is under control," Fanzone informed him. "She's at her former boss's house, and I'm going to go over there to make sure she seems stable. I'm gonna question both her and the man. If everything seems okay, I'm going to keep an eye on her whereabouts, so you don't have to worry about a thing. Tell your Autobots to go home."

"Alright then."

With that the connection terminated and Fanzone put his phone down onto the seat next to him, and focused on driving.

About half an hour later he arrived at the apartment building where this Professor Andrew Fowl lived. Fanzone parked his car as close to the front entrance as he could get, then he stepped out, locked the door, and slammed it shut.

"Let's get this over with," the policeman mumbled under his breath. He walked up to the door and rapped his knuckles against it three times.

"Who is it?" an annoyed voice called out.

"It's the police!" Fanzone barked. "Open up this door right now!"

For a moment there was no response then the door opened and the scientist poked his head out. He gave Fanzone a once over then asked, "Yeah, what do you want?"

Somehow, Fanzone immediately knew that there was something about this man he didn't like too well. Then again, apparently he had Petra in his place right now. Enough said there. "Is it true that you have a Miss Petra Black inside your home?"

"That is true," he replied, nodding his head. "What about it? Is she in trouble again?" The tone he used sounded slightly hopeful. "If she is I'll gladly hand her over to you. You can deal with her."

"Far as I know she hasn't done anything yet, that I know of," Fanzone replied. "Look I just need to ask you some questions about her. Mind if I come in?" Part of him was annoyed at having to ask, but he did not have any kind of warrant, and he wasn't here to convict anyone… yet.

Fowl stood as a statue, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "What do you need to come in for?" he demanded. "You going to spring one of those random searches on me or something? Well you don't find anything."

Fanzone sighed in annoyance. "Look, I just came over here to talk to you and the woman. If you don't want me to come inside, then bring her out here and I'll talk to you both by my car." Being closer to his car sounded preferable to him anyway. That meant he could leave all the quicker when this was over. Or it would be easier to subdue Petra and put her in the car if he had to.

Fowl glanced at the couch. "Uh yeah, I'm afraid that will be impossible." The last thing he wanted was to wake her up.

The police captain scowled. "And why is that?"

Fowl opened the door wide so the police captain could see inside. 'That's why," he replied, pointing toward the couch.

Fanzone looked at the scene carefully. Then he snorted. "Gotta admit… she ALMOST looks peaceful when she sleeps," he commented. "Except for that noise," he added as she snored loudly. "She sounds like a bullfrog with laryngitis trying to use a chainsaw on a lily pad."

Fowl agreed with a nod of his head. "Now if I were you I'd keep it that way," he stated. "She's not exactly the best company."

Well, Fanzone certainly couldn't disagree with that, especially after everything he'd gone through when he'd first come face to face with the woman, in the basement of Sumdac Tower all those months ago.

"Well then, don't wake her up," he finally said. "But this will mean that I'll need you to step outside, and you need to answer a few questions."

"Why do I have to answer questions? You trying to pin something on me now?"

"No, I just need to make sure she's behaving herself well enough to fit in with society. And you can either step out here and answer a few questions, or I come inside, wake her up, and talk to you both. It's up to you." Fanzone folded his arms.

The scientist sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't getting rid of this guy that easily. "Fine," he said, stepping out onto the threshold, closing the door behind him. "What do you want to ask me?"

"First of all, when exactly did she get here?" Fanzone asked, pulling a small notepad out of his pocket to write things down.

"About one o clock," he replied.

"Okay. Why did she come to you, and why did you let her in?"

"Well she came to me because in her words she has nowhere else to go," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm not sure why I let her in. Probably to shut her up so the neighbors wouldn't think I was killing her."

"I see." Fanzone scribbled something down on his notebook, then continued his questioning. "Okay, I need to know what her general behavior has been like since she went into your apartment. I need to know specifics, like, has she been violent? Has she been mentally stable? And has she started talking to people that aren't there? That sort of thing."

When has she ever been mentally stable? Fowl asked himself. "She's been herself," he replied. "But no she has not been violent and she has not been talking to anyone that's not there. She might have talked to Mable but I talk to Mable and I'm not crazy." he saw the look Fanzone was giving him. "Mable is my pet chameleon."

"I see," Fanzone said. "Okay we're almost finished here… what exactly are her plans now?"

"Her plans?" the scientist shrugged. "She plans on getting a job. I saw her filling out applications earlier."

"Well, that's a step up from what she was doing before, I guess." Fanzone finished writing something down and then put away the notebook. "Okay, well, since the hospital deemed her fit enough to be released, she needs to be given a chance. But, if she does anything illegal or suspicious, I want you to call me and tell me. Or if she moves out, I want you to tell me her exactly where she is going. When she wakes up, make sure she knows this too. Understood?"

"Of course I understand," the professor stated. "I'm not an idiot."

"Good then," Fanzone said dryly, and suppressed a yawn. It really was getting late. "That will be all. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a good night."

"Right."

Shaking his head, Fanzone walked back over to his car. He unlocked the door on the drivers' side, got in, then drove away. He was glad to get away from there, and he was certainly glad he didn't have to talk to Petra.

Right now, all he wanted was to go home and get a good night's sleep. And hope his wife didn't make him eat any of her "world famous" pot roast first. He made a face at the thought.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Just as Fowl came back inside, Petra Black stirred on the couch a little, as if starting to wake up. She had stopped snoring, and she moaned a little bit. Her mouth was open and she was drooling on one of the cushions.

Fowl made a face and walked past her, hoping she wouldn't hear him and wake with one of those crazy. 'THEY WERE PROBING MY BRAIN!" accusations.

However Petra did not awaken; she merely rolled over and, after a moment, resumed snoring with full force.

The scientist rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen. He walked over to the sink and turned on the water. He took a mug out of the cabinet and placed it under the water. Once it was full enough he moved over to the microwave and set it inside, closing the door and setting the timer for one minute and thirty seconds.

Once the timer beeped he took out the mug, and emptied a packet of chocolate in to it. After he stirred it up he walked back into the living room and waved it under her nose.

She began to sniff the air in her sleep, almost as rapidly as a hungry dog. Then her eyelids shot open. "CHOCOLATE!" she squealed. "HOT CHOCOLATE! GIMME!"

"Whoa!" he stated, shoving her away so she wouldn't spill it. Too late. Some of it fell onto his hand, scalding it. "OUCH!"

Completely oblivious to his pain, Petra snatched the mug away and sucked it down very quickly. Then she dropped the mug on the floor and grasped at her throat, panting. "HOT! HOT!" she rasped, her eyes bugging out. But then a stupid smile spread across her face. "But GOOD kind of hot!"

Fowl was too focused on his own pain to notice. He ran back into the kitchen and thrust his scalded hand into the stink, turning on the faucet and letting the cold water run over his hand. "Okay, that was a stupid idea."


	5. Chapter 5

After nearly a full week of searching, applying, and even re-applying, Petra Black had finally gotten a job at the local supermarket. And after six days of feeding her and putting up with her, Fowl was more than pleased to have the entire day to himself for once. She had scarfed down a quick breakfast that morning, then was out the door in a flash.

And thus, Fowl was treated to eight hours without having her around at all, and actually managed to get some work done. He'd even managed to forget she was ever there, at least for a while…

That is, until she came barging in through the front door, throwing it open so hard that it practically SMASHED against the wall, and she screamed so loudly that probably the entire neighborhood could hear her. "FOWL! GUESS WHAT!"

The scientist looked up from his notes with a dull expression. "What?" he asked in a flat voice.

Petra squealed and kicked the door shut behind her, then dashed toward him, stopping just a few feet short of him. "GUESS!" she insisted.

"You're pregnant?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

"NOOO!" She threw back her head and laughed. "I'M LEAVING TODAY."

"You are?" he had a hard time believing that.

"YES!" She giggled. "And guess where I am going!"

"Back to the psycho ward?"

"No, I'm going to Mexico!" Petra snapped, beginning to get a little frustrated. Although she still remained quite chipper and upbeat. NOTHING in the world could possibly ruin her mood right now.

He blinked. "Mexico." Oh those poor Mexican's. They don't know what they're in for.

"YES!" Petra clapped her hands giddily. Then she launched into her tale. "You see, after work today I decided to do a little bit of shopping, just to buy a back of fruity bubblegum. And I was their one-millionth customer, SO I WON AN ALL-EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO MEXICO!" She screamed again, jumping up and down.

"Good for you." he said, going back to his notes.

Suddenly she rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and sending some of his notes flying. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A PLACE TO STAY!" she exclaimed, and squeezed even tighter.

"No problem," he managed with a grunt. "Now let me go!" His eyes were narrowed and he sounded like he was barely holding his anger in.

She did let him go. Then she grabbed his cheeks and planted a big, wet kiss on his forehead and then ruffled his hair.

"Don't do that!" he snapped, pushing her away. He ran his hand over his forehead which was covered in spit. He made a face and stood up. "So when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning! I've already got my ticket and everything!" She grinned, grabbing the piece of paper out of her pocket and then waving it under his nose.

"Then you'd better pack." he said, grabbing the ticket and snatching it out of her hand. He studied it for a moment. It looked authentic but he had to wonder. With his luck she'd take it to the air port and they'd tell her it was a fake.

"Oh yes yes yes I will!" Petra exclaimed. "I'm going to be there for a month! And then when I get back," she added, taking the ticket back from him and putting it back in her pocket, "I'm not coming back here."

"Good."

"I will go pack now!" With that she began to gather up what few belongings she had and throw them half-hazardly into a worn, beat-up bag that she'd gotten from the dumpster outside.

Then suddenly she glanced over a Fowl, a child-like expression crossing her face again. "Can I take your scrabble game with me?" she asked, smiling cutely.

"No!" he yelled, throwing a lamp at her. "JUST GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

She ducked, allowing the lamp to go sailing over her head, then she stared at it after it landed on the floor. Then she turned back to look at him. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I must be rubbing off on you!"

Fowl got up from his work, his intention clear. "If that door's not shut by the time I get to you..." he began.

Petra tightened her grip on her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. Then she bolted toward the door, swung it open, and paused just long enough to sing out "Thanks again!" before dashing outside, slamming it shut behind her.

Fowl paused. He waited for a moment and when she didn't come back he flopped onto the couch and sighed. For a moment there was silence then he let out a loud: "YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Then he got up and started dancing.

And right at that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Fowl instantly went rigid. Oh no, he thought, looking at the door with a fearful expression. She's back. "Who is it?" he shouted.

The door opened to just a crack as SHE peered inside. "Hey I just wanted to ask, can I borrow ten bucks for the road?"

"No!" Fowl snapped, clenching his fists at his sides. "You have money! Use your own! You already have me behind on my rent because you always stole my mac card!"

"But I already used all of that up when I paid the taxes so I could go on my trip! Pretty please?" Petra stuck out her lower lip.

"No! I don't have any money for you!" he roared. "I can't even pay my assistant because of you. You think I want to pay you when I can't even pay her or my bills?"

"Okay fine, I'll just go ask somebody else! No need to be so huffy about it!" Petra snapped, then slammed the door shut.

Fowl waited. He just knew she was going to come back. Probably to say she did something or broke something and he would have to pay for it.

She better not have tried to dissect the neighbors dog again, he thought. Or more importantly I hope she isn't going to tell me she actually did!

Just then, there was another knock on the door.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?"

However this time, it was a deeper, more masculine voice that answered. "This is Captain Fanzone. I'd like to talk to you."

"Oh great," he face palmed and then crossed the room and opened the door. The scientist glared at the fat police captain. "What do you want now, pig?"

Fanzone glared right back. "I would watch it if I were you," he warned. "Let's just keep this nice and straightforward, and there won't be any problems."

"Fine," the man leaned against the door. "What do you want?"

"I am out on patrol, and I just noticed you-know-who walking out and heading down the street, looking like she was running for her life. Is she leaving here, or just out on a stroll?"

"She's going to Mexico," the man replied, tucking his shirt into his pants. "She won a trip so she's leaving."

"Ah yeah," Fanzone nodded. "I heard about the supermarket giving a prize away earlier. Well… when does she leave the country, and how long is she staying there?"

"A month and if you ask me that's not long enough."

"Good enough," Fanzone said, shaking his head a little. "Well," he then said, in spite of himself, "maybe she'll catch some kind of exotic disease, or get stung by a scorpion or something while she's there." He kept his expression carefully neutral, but there was a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. Maybe even just a trace of hope.

"Maybe she'll blow up an Aztec pyramid and the Mexicans will shoot her for desecrating their history," Fowl said, in his dead pan voice. "One can only hope. Now is there anything else you want from me?"

"Nope," Fanzone said with a shake of his head. He was still a little annoyed, although much of his irritation had faded upon hearing the news that Petra was leaving the country soon. "By the way… well, it's not like I should care much, but frankly I wouldn't even want my mother-in-law to suffer having to live with that woman. So… how did it go? Are YOU okay?"

Fowl leaned toward him so he could see his rumpled appearance, dirty face, and five o clock shadow. "What do you think?"

"Well, normally I don't do this," Fanzone muttered, "and I don't usually take pity on people. And to be honest, I don't even like you all that much. But, this is an exceptional case where I can share your pain, and sympathize." He shuddered slightly as a memory passed through his mind.

With that he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wad of bills, offering them to the professor. "This is merely a token from one of Petra's 'victims' to another," he said with a shrug.

The scientist stared at the money. "What's that for?" he asked. "Living through dealing with that… woman and still keeping my sanity?"

Fanzone chuckled. "That and well… I figure she probably cleaned you out a bit. And if nothing else you kept her off the streets for a while, and you did more than anybody else would have. So… just take it."

Fowl didn't have to be asked twice. He grabbed up the money and pocketed it. "Now I can pay my rent," he grumbled. "I guess my assistant will have to wait a little longer…"

"Well, good luck," Fanzone murmured, then turned and walked away, heading back toward his car.

"My luck has already gotten better," he said, closing the door.


End file.
